Turkish foreign minister calls on international community to support Syrian people

Turkey's foreign minister said the international community must support the Syrian people to ensure a smooth transition.

"As of this morning, Syria has reached a stage where the Syrian people will shape the future of their own country. Today, there is hope. The Syrian people cannot achieve this alone," Hakan Fidan told a conference in Doha. 

Fidan said the "Assad regime collapsed and control of the country is changing hands", adding that the new Syrian must be inclusive of all parties.

"We have to be watchful during this transition period. We are in communication with the groups to make sure that terrorist organisations, especially the Islamic State and PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party), are not taking advantage of the situation.  

"We will continue to support efforts to establish stability and security in Syria. For the last week, we had in depth dialogues and deliberations with regional and international actors."